[mythtv-users] Newbie with a shopping list for review please

Don Jerman djerman at pobox.com
Thu Nov 22 01:35:18 UTC 2007


On 11/21/07, bryan <bryan at bryansweb.com> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> Below is my shopping list for my MythTV system or LinuxMCE sytem not sure
> yet.
>
> I will mostly be recording off of digital cable TV and moving some of my
> movies on to the system for easy access, but I like the idea of having one
> remote to control all of the audio/video gear. I am guessing this is done
> with some sort of IR transmitter I don't have on my list yet, what do I
> need?
>
> As for the list I am trying to build a low wattage/low heat system, any
> recommendations or comments would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
> Bryan
>
> Shopping list
> 1-ASUS M2NPV-VM Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
> 1-AMD Athlon X2 BE-2400 2.3GHz Socket AM2 Processor
> 1-Patriot 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Memory
> 1-CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX ATX12V V2.2 450W Power Supply
> 3-Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
> 1-Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-500 MCE Dual TV Recorder Tuner Card w/MCE Remote 253
> PCI Interface
> 1-LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model DH-20A4P-04
> 1-SILVERSTONE SST-LC17-B Black Computer Case
>
>
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>


This is essentially my rig - I would point out that the motherboard
comes with only 2 SATA-2 cables, so you'll need another interface
cable for that 3rd disk.  I'm not sure if you need a 4th for the dvd
burner or if that's PATA, without looking it up.

For $20 at the local warehouse store, I found a wireless USB keyboard
and mouse which made regex entry much more convenient (it's still
unsafe to pull the plug on a PS/2 mouse or keyboard - you can get away
with it right up until you don't, but then you need a new
motherboard).  I don't know if the mythbuntu installer would recognize
it (found it after that phase) but once it's installed it works fine.

This CPU should be plenty for commflagging but if you mean to
transcode everything you might consider a 2nd backend or a faster CPU.
 I put in 2 PVR-500s and my BE2350 cannot keep up with transcoding
everything.  I'd prefer a different backend in order to keep the
frontend quiet, but then again transcoding for space isn't that
important if you have enough storage to keep the ephemeral shows until
you've watched them and deleted them.  I just initiate transcoding
manually for movies and specials that I mean to keep.

You might want to add a digital and HD receiver - the silicon dust
device looks good to me as it's external so you have less chance of
config issues.  You can always add it later after you get this rig
going.  I like the WD drives I got 'cause they're quieter than the
seagates in my fileserver.

My CPU fan rarely stops but I did have to turn off the alarm - when
truly idle, the system slows the fan down enough to set off the alarm.
 But with 4 channels recording and commflagging I rarely have it idle
(when I'm home anyhow).


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